Meeting of the Apprentices
by TheDarkDoctorWatson
Summary: (AU/EU) Ahsoka had survived Order 66 only to find herself hunted by a dark shadow that answers only to the Empire's highest enforcer. When something about this shadow feels familiar, will the coming fight shed light on questions left unanswered after 66, or will Ahsoka simply be another test for Vader's dark assassin? [After "Ahsoka" novel, during Jedi hunting in "Force Unleashed"]
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: The Gray Apprentice**

* * *

Ahsoka Tano sat with her legs crossed and eyes closed as her new lightsabers danced in the air in front of her. The two white crystals spun through the air, swimming past pieces of metal and wiring as well as the focusing crystals for each weapon. She had disassembled and reassembled them numerous times since her encounter with the Sixth Brother, but she wouldn't be satisfied until she knew the weapons inside and out, down to the last wire and screw - much like her original blades which now resided in Rex's false grave.

As she felt the rumble coming through the ship under her, she willed the weapons to reform before coming to rest on the floor in front of her as she opened her eyes. The door to her quarters hissed behind her as a uniformed officer under the employ of the ship's owner entered the room to inform Ahsoka of the situation.

"Yes?" Ahsoka inquired as she reached forward for the lightsabers.

"We've reached the rendezvous point, m'lady." The officer replied.

"Thank you, trooper." Ahsoka said as she clipped her sabers to her belt and stood before turning around.

"We're not the only ones who are here," The officer went on, "I've been sent to escort you to the bridge."

Ahsoka could feel the tremor of confusion and slight fear through the crew of the ship as she followed the officer out of her quarters and to the bridge. Word was spreading about an unknown ship waiting at what should've been a confidential rendezvous point far away from the Inner Rim.

Stepping onto the Alderannian Corvette's bridge, Ahsoka got her first glimpse of the ship in question; a sleek freighter sized ship that appeared to have been retrofitted with Imperial style solar collectors on its wings, a bubble-like cockpit at the center of the ship and what looked like a prototype hyperdrive across the starboard side, as well as several ports for concealed weaponry and holds.

"Is there any way it's an Imperial vessel?" The Corvette's owner asked from the Captain's chair as Ahsoka stepped to the right of the chair.

"It's possible, Senator, but hard to tell from here." Ahsoka replied, "It could just be a scavenger that got lost."

"Or…?" The Senator asked catching the slightest bit of doubt in Ahsoka's assessment.

"Or, it could be an assassin, or worse." Ahsoka replied as she looked over a scan of the ship.

"What could be worse than an assassin, Senator Organa?" One of the pilots asked as they turned back to the Captain's chair.

"A Jedi Inquisitor," Bail Organa began, "A hunter and torturer trained by the Empire's second in command for the sole purpose of completely fulfilling Order 66."

"Something feels off about the ship though," Ahsoka began as the scan revealed the ship to be using some kind of jamming device, "It feels as though there is more to this than the trap itself."

"Are we able to get word to our allies on their way?" Bail asked.

"Negative sir," the communications officer replied, "Every frequency is jammed."

"I'll go alone," Ahsoka said as she began to exit the bridge, "If I need any help, you'll know."

"How do you plan to get over there?" Bail asked as he spun his chair to see her off.

"Why do you think I asked you to keep the General's old fighter fueled and ready?" Ahsoka asked in reply with a mischievous smirk as she began the walk down to the Corvette's small hanger and the Separatist style fighter that had once belonged to an infamous droid general.

* * *

After a fly-around of the mysterious ship looking for any exterior damage, Ahsoka flew further in and landed Grievous's fighter within the small hanger of the unknown ship. As she stepped out, she was pleased to learn that the ship was still running enough power to keep exterior shields and life support going.

Carefully picking her way through barely lit corridors, Ahsoka felt an extremely dark and nearly unbalanced presence lying in wait further towards the center of the ship. Another life form and a droid were the only other occupants of the vessel. Unclipping her lightsabers, Ahsoka slowed her steps and began gently placing her weight on flat feet as to not make a single sound with each step as well as using the Force to hold her breath and silence her heartbeat.

She felt the figure approaching before she saw him - a tidal force of dark energy accompanied by a single red blade that would have sliced through her had she not slipped out of the way at the last second. Letting go of the Force silencing her body and putting her focus into the moment of combat, Ahsoka ignited her snow-white blades and raised them to deflect another swinging strike of blood-red energy that had been aimed at her head. The red blade continued to spark against the dual white weapons as both fighters quickly sized each other up from a glance.

He was a young human, couldn't have been older than 25 at most, a very close cut haircut, ragged robes were his attire and his lightsaber seemed to be incomplete as the red crystal was visible and shone brilliantly into the darkened room around them. His dark eyes held a fire of rage, and his presence in the Force was saturated in dark energy as well as a presence that was once familiar to Ahsoka.

With a flick of her wrists and a slight push from her feet, Ahsoka dislodged herself from the fray and found herself at the edge of the room as her opponent brought his blade down and around to a stance she once held in her teenage years when she had wielded a single blade rather than two. Her opponent simply stood in place, keeping his eyes fixated on her with a look of pure hatred.

"Who are you?" Ahsoka asked as she moved into a coiled defensive stance, "Why were you waiting for my ship?"

"I wasn't waiting for your _ship_," The young man replied with a snarl, "I was waiting for _you_."

Before Ahsoka could reply, the young man jumped into the air, appeared to have blasted lightning into the blade itself with his off-hand, then slammed the blade down in front of him with the built-up electric energy arcing through the floor towards Ahsoka.

After quickly dashing to the side, Ahsoka rolled forward then flexed two fingers to send a blast of Force energy at her opponent. After a side-dash of his own, the young man came up on one knee and let loose a torrent of lightning into Ahsoka's waiting white blades.

"_What_ are you then?" Ahsoka asked, "Another Inquisitor?"

"An Inquisitor? No." The young man replied with a sneer, "More like, assassin."

Something in the way he said that word chilled Ahsoka to the core and reminded her of a sinister Zabrak that was hopefully rotting away in some forgotten corner of the galaxy.

"An assassin for who?" Ahsoka asked trying to throw off his focus.

"Why do you care?!" The young man practically screamed as he threw his lightsaber toward Ahsoka who deflected and stepped out of the way of the lethal circle of red coming at her.

As she moved to stand, Ahsoka had no time to prevent herself from being thrown against the wall from the blast of dark Force energy coming at her. Having retrieved his weapon, the young man took advantage of Ahsoka's momentary daze and released another volley of lightning from his fingertips. This time, Ahsoka was nowhere quick enough to react as she took on the full brunt of the energy.

Every cell of her being felt like it was being stung, every strand of her nervous system was continually being saturated with horrifically powerful electricity. Ahsoka screamed involuntarily as her body contorted under the power of the Force lightning. She barely saw the young man walking closer as he blasted more energy into her causing her to scream again.

Something rumbled outside and alarms started blaring through the ship causing the young man to lose focus and drop the lightning, inadvertently dropping Ahsoka as well who did not even realize she had been lifted off the floor.

"What is it?!" The young man shouted into a comlink on his wrist.

"_The Corvette has begun firing on us, Master_." A droid's voice could be heard on the other end.

"Well fire back!" The young man ordered.

Ahsoka took advantage of the confusion and pulled her lightsabers to her hands, using the placement of one to pull the young man's feet out from under him.

As he hit the deck with a thud and the lightsabers barely touched Ahsoka's palms, she began sprinting back to the hanger, launching herself into the pilot seat of Grievous's fighter and jettisoning out of the ship's hangar back to the safety of the Corvette. She had barely touched down in the Corvette's hangar when the hum of hyperspace could be heard throughout the ship.

Before she stepped out of the fighter, Ahsoka took a moment to compose herself. She had never been that vulnerable since the Trial before she walked away. And now she knew why. She didn't know how, or if it was supposed to be possible, but there was no way of denying that the man she had just faced had been trained by Anakin Skywalker. Somehow, Skyguy was still alive.

* * *

END CHAPTER ONE


	2. Chapter2

**Chapter Two: The Dark Apprentice**

Starkiller woke with a start on the deck of the training chamber. He had gotten caught up in his own success and not been prepared for external variables. This then had allowed the enemy to slither away in hasty retreat. A Jedi, the stinking evil that had tried to overthrow Palpatine before he had ascended to the position of Emperor as the Clone Wars drew to a swift end.

Starkiller had dealt with Jedi and other force users before, but this female Togruta was different. Something about the way she held her lightsabers in the same manner as he did; something about her moves and even her stance was...familiar. The combat meditation with which she so easily had defended herself and even nearly taken the upper hand of the battle was almost like looking into a mirror.

"Master!" PROXY's panicked voice came through the comlink on Starkiller's wrist.

"Report." Starkiller commanded, allowing himself to enter a calmer state than during the droid's call earlier.

"The Corvette has left the area," The droid began, "And I am reading that a ship left our hanger before rentering the Corvette. I assume whoever was here has now fled."

"What's our status?" Starkiller asked as he stood, eager to keep the droid's circuits off of his failure.

"We took minimal damage from the Corvette's blasts." The voice of Juno Eclipse came in on the comlink, "We are still in flying order, though I would recommend a full ship scan to make sure we are not leaking fuel or missing anything important."

"I'm on my way to the bridge," Starkiller replied as he clipped the saber to his belt, "Pull us around and get us out of here. We need to figure out where that Corvette went."

"I can place the Rogue Shadow on the Corvette's last known trajectory," Juno started, "I know it's a longshot, but they may be on a one-way course since I'm assuming we interrupted a clandestine rendezvous."

Starkiller shut off the comlink as he made his way around a few corners and onto the bridge.

"Follow them." He ordered curtly as he sat down behind PROXY and crossed his arms.

Juno punched in the trajectory and within seconds, the Rogue Shadow's cockpit lit up with the swirling lights of hyperspace.

As the ship pushed through parsecs of open space, Starkiller let himself slip into the dark side of the Force as he replied the battle in his mind. Her aggression, but also her calm demeanor. Even when she suddenly lost the upper-hand, her mind did not lose focus on the moment in front of her. Something about her focus...and then it clicked. His master, the dark lord Vader himself possessed such focus in battle. When pushing himself in the Force, he exhibited some of the same moves she had. The allowance, and even sometimes the push, to hold his lightsaber in a reverse grip. Darth Vader had once been the Togruta's master. But how? When?

Who was Vader before the Empire? Who was this Togruata to be trained by one so powerful? Was she also trained in the dark side, or had Vader been a Jedi before Order 66? If so, how had he come to be the Emperor's right hand?

Starkiller continued to try probing the Force for answers, but each question brought up others with it. Soon, the only thoughts that he could hear pressed him to go directly to Vader and tell him about the Togruta. But something held him back. Was it Kota's voice still ringing in his ears making him doubt Vader's authority? Was it the fact that this Togruta exhibited what could be Starkiller's own future self in battle?

"Enough!" Starkiller said out-loud as he practically jumped in his chair coming out of his meditation.

"'Enough' what, sir?" PROXY asked as he swiveled around to look at him.

"Nothing," Starkiller replied, "I'm in my own head."

Before PROXY could respond, Starkiller stood as he moved to leave the bridge.

"Alert me when we've reached the Corvette, or found where they could have stopped." He ordered as he began to walk through the Shadow's corridors to his quarters.

As he locked the door behind him and placed his lightsaber on the floor, Starkiller sat down with his legs crossed and eyes closed as his lightsaber began to float upwards and disassemble in time with the meditation deepening. Like always, the Force opened to him, though prodding was needed as he brought the dark side with him into these deep meditations. The search for answers continued into this meditation as Starkiller reached out to any and every conduit and spark within the Force that could possibly give him the information he desperately needed.

There were certain places in this stream of the Force, as he envisioned it, that he had to be careful not to go near - let alone, enter. That of the Emperor, or the Inquisitors under Vader's command, were such places. Vader's own stream was also prohibited, and those of the ever lightly Force-sensitive within the ranks of the Empire. However, anywhere else was free reign, if he was careful. This led him to a glaringly bright point ahead of the Rogue Shadow as it passed through the physical space the Force inhabited. This bright spot was his goal, the Togruta Jedi.

As Starkiller willed himself to focus on the bright spot, he suddenly felt a presence within the very room he sat in as his lightsaber danced in pieces around him.

"You are extremely powerful for one so young." The Togruta's voice echoed around him as her face began to take shape in the form of a constellation of stars before his eyes.

"Who are you?" Starkiller practically growled as he willed his darkness to seep into this space of the Force and overwhelm her.

"You say you were lying in wait for me, yet you do not know who I am." The Togruta replied as her eyes remained closed and the stars in her constellation face began to grow brighter, "The real question is, who are you? And I do not mean your codename so the Empire will not know your place as an assassin to the Sith, but who are you - the man behind the lightsaber."

"I…" Starkiller began, emotion in his voice as he suddenly found himself very vulnerable with memories beginning to unlock from his childhood, "I… I am… Galen Marek, son of Jedi Master Kento Marek. I am apprentice to Darth Vader, hunter of Jedi."

"Do you know of Anakin Skywalker?" The Togruta asked suddenly.

"I… I know that Skywalker was killed during the Purge." Starkiller replied, anger coming back into his voice as he tried to resist the Jedi's probing, "How...how have you...turned this against me?"

"Was Vader trained by Skywalker?" The Togruta pushed her questions, her constellation taking on a reddish hue.

"I...I don't… STOP!" Starkiller shouted as he tried to pull himself from the meditation, "This is not the Jedi way!"

"I am no Jedi." The Togruta said calmly before her constellation lit up white and the eyes opened shining a dazzling white.

Starkiller shouted in pain as he pulled on all he could and enveloped himself in the dark side before the meditation ceased and his physical eyes opened. His lightsaber pieces fell to the floor around him, pinging with each bounce on the metal floor. He looked down at his shaking hands, inwardly cursing himself as he had underestimated the Togruta yet again. Then, he realized, she had given him far more information than she may have meant to.

"PROXY!" Starkiller barked into the wrist comlink, "Find anything you can about Anakin Skywalker, and his Togruta apprentice. I'm making my way to the bridge, be ready as soon as I'm there."

"Of course, Master." PROXY replied as Starkiller used the Force to pull his lightsaber back together and onto his belt.

The walk to the bridge felt long, much like before a mission, but Starkiller knew that he had made a connection to this Jedi that had gotten away and it was about to be her end.


End file.
